A subtle change flickered across He Yiming’s face. Before nourishing the Five Elements Ring, he never could have imagined that a wisp of power he had drawn from the Tongtian Pagoda into his Dantian would suddenly erupt at this very moment and surge into the ring.

This was an outcome completely beyond his control; even if he had wanted to stop it, it was utterly impossible.

The Earth element, which was currently being withdrawn, reversed its flow, spreading once more within the Five Elements Ring, guided by that sliver of mysterious power.

This surge of energy was incredibly vital to He Yiming.

When casting the Heaven-Flipping Seal, the effect with this power present versus without it would be vastly different. The memory of effortlessly swatting down the Qi Lian Twin Demons on the seventh floor of the Pagoda, as if they were mere flies, brought an irrepressible hint of smug satisfaction to his heart.

If those two hadn't possessed the miraculous supreme treasure, the Seamless Robe, at that time, they likely would have been reduced to a smear of pulp already.

Having experienced such immense and incredible power, He Yiming regarded this sliver of mystical energy within his Dantian with extreme reverence, utterly unwilling to allow it to slip away easily.

The potent Earth energy flooded wildly into the Five Elements Ring. All the overflow from his Dantian consisted purely of Earth power, which allowed him to maintain a relatively easy grasp on the situation inside the ring.

However, after entering the Five Elements Ring, this strand of mystical power did not remain stationary; instead, it darted about as if driven by a maniacal frenzy.

He Yiming’s Earth power simultaneously weaved a net within the ring, attempting to ensnare this rogue energy.

Although this energy was powerful, it originated from his Dantian, meaning it couldn't actually harm him. Yet, capturing such agile power—power that was nearly monstrous in its elusiveness—was no simple task.

He lost all track of time. Just as a splitting headache began to plague He Yiming, the energy abruptly ceased its motion.

It wasn't due to pressure exerted by He Yiming; rather, the energy circled the Five Elements Ring several times before suddenly halting at a specific location.

He Yiming was instantly overwhelmed with joy. The net of Earth power he had condensed swiftly surged forward, firmly trapping the strand of mystical energy.

To He Yiming’s astonishment, this strand of Pagoda power offered no resistance whatsoever. It simply allowed his Earth power to seize it, letting itself be gradually drawn back into his Dantian.

Throughout the entire process, the Pagoda power behaved with surprising cooperation, which only made He Yiming feel increasingly bewildered.

A thought suddenly pierced his mind: why did the Pagoda power suddenly rush into the Five Elements Ring? Could it be that something within the ring was attracting it?

He Yiming’s eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he immediately channeled his Earth power back into the Five Elements Ring.

Following the memory of the previous encounter, he quickly navigated toward the exact spot where the Pagoda power had just paused.

This was the central region of the Five Elements Ring. Although it lacked the ceaseless cycle of the outer layers, it was still incredibly dense and solid.

The Earth power began to search meticulously in this area. He Yiming forgot about time, forgot all extraneous thoughts, pouring every ounce of his focus into the task.

The tenacious nature of a Martial Arts master is terrifyingly formidable. Once they fixate on a goal, they will pursue it relentlessly, as if dragged by nine oxen they could not be pulled away.

Since He Yiming was certain something was amiss, he swore he would not rest until he uncovered the source of the problem.

Outside the secret chamber, Jin Zhanyi and the stout Yu Wuchang waited quietly. Although a full day and night had passed, Jin Zhanyi appeared as if he had just sat down, not showing a trace of impatience.

However, Yu Wuchang’s composure was far less steady than his age suggested.

The large fatty had already mentally condemned He Yiming countless times in his mind, and a shadow of vexation even crossed his face.

The fact that He Yiming had been inside the chamber for so long left only one possibility: after finishing the manual, he had immediately entered seclusion.

The mere thought of this consequence brought a desire in Yu Wuchang to let out a long cry of despair.

How could this fellow enter seclusion at such a crucial time? If he missed the journey to Ghost Howl Ridge because of this, it would mean forfeiting the last glimmer of hope in his entire life.

As if sensing the other’s inner turmoil, Jin Zhanyi smiled and said, “Brother Yu need not worry. When the great battle commences, regardless of whether Brother He emerges or not, I will deliver the Jiahuang Pill to you. I absolutely will not let you miss the trip to Ghost Howl Ridge.”

Only then did Yu Wuchang breathe a sigh of relief. He hesitated slightly and asked, “Brother Jin, are you not planning to go?”

Jin Zhanyi pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the tightly sealed door of the secret chamber. “It depends on the situation.”

Yu Wuchang understood immediately. If He Yiming could not emerge before the battle, Jin Zhanyi would remain here to guard him, seemingly prepared to sacrifice even this opportunity...

※※※※

Inside the secret chamber, He Yiming’s tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open. Unconcealed ecstasy flowed through his pupils.

Through his tireless searching, he had finally gained a reward beyond his wildest imagination.

In the very center of the Five Elements Ring, he had discovered a spot resembling a black hole.

This point was saturated with an unimaginably vast and profound Earth power. The sheer magnitude of this Earth energy deeply shook even He Yiming.

However, this point did not seem fixed; it was constantly orbiting, tracing some kind of marvelous track.

Relative to the movement of this single point, its flow trajectory remained perfectly consistent. It was as if a singular, bizarre world had already taken root within the Five Elements Ring, cycling precisely every three hours—not a moment more, not a fraction less.

He Yiming spent an entire day tracking it before he finally managed to confirm the moving trajectory of this spot, etching it firmly into his memory.

He was now certain: this point must be the dedicated locus for the Earth element within the Five Elements Ring.

To discover one of these points in such a short time was something he absolutely could not have conceived beforehand.

For some inexplicable reason, He Yiming’s heart swelled with surging confidence. Perhaps, he wouldn't even need ten years to achieve the Tripartite Stance.

He pulled a small bottle from his robe, opened it, poured out a (Grain-Dispelling Pill), and swallowed it. After concentrating and circulating his energy for half an hour, his essence, energy, and spirit were completely restored, nearly reaching their peak state.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Since He Yiming had accidentally pinpointed one location, he naturally wanted to press his advantage.

Although he knew that finding this point was purely serendipitous—without the sudden flare-up of the Pagoda power in his Dantian, he would never have had this chance.

But as long as there was a sliver of hope, He Yiming would not surrender.

His hands moved in rapid succession, and the Art of Fire Control began to manifest from his palms once more.

The surrounding Fire energy slowly converged toward his hands. While this influx wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, it was orderly; every single thread of energy was perfectly manipulated in his grasp.

Feeling the exhilaration of perfectly controlling power, He Yiming’s yearning for the Nine Dragon Furnace artifact grew even stronger.

If one day he could control the Nine Dragon Furnace with the same finesse he controlled the Fire energy in his hands, what colossal might he could unleash.

Merely entertaining the thought was enough to make controlling one's emotions difficult.

Yet, he quickly reined in his concentration. This possibility, which currently seemed virtually unattainable, he deeply buried in the furthest recesses of his heart.

A faint wisp of Ethereal Fire manifested on his palm, and He Yiming injected this wisp into the Five Elements Ring.

Following this, he executed the searching method recorded in the manual: he made the Ethereal Fire circle within a certain radius, using the discovered Earth power locus as the center.

This was a method of searching based heavily on luck, but once the first point was located, one could roughly estimate the distance to the second elemental locus. By circling at that approximate distance, one would eventually encounter the second point.

Of course, this was a lengthy process. According to the records of the Five Elements Sect, the longest a disciple had ever taken to find the second point was two full years.

Although He Yiming didn't believe his luck would be that poor, he prepared himself for a long, sustained effort.

However, after only the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, the muscles on He Yiming’s face began to twitch uncontrollably.

He sensed it—while searching aimlessly, he had inexplicably felt the locus belonging purely to Fire.

He immediately settled his mind and focused intently on sensing the orbital path of this point.

Another day passed. When He Yiming finally opened his slightly weary eyes, he had successfully located two elemental system points within the Five Elements Ring.

Though his body was somewhat fatigued, He Yiming’s spirit was more exhilarated than ever before. Without hesitation, he gathered his Gold power and poured this energy, without reservation, into the Five Elements Ring.

Finding the first point in a three-point system is undeniably the most difficult; finding the second is slightly less so. But once two points are confirmed, locating the third is no longer an overwhelmingly hard endeavor.

Nevertheless, this time He Yiming spent a full six hours before he finally pinpointed the location of that last point.

With that, he let out a long breath, and the extreme tension in his mind finally eased.

His heart swelled with pride. To accomplish the work normally requiring more than ten years for a standard Five Elements Sect disciple in just a few short days—if this news got out, it would cause an incredible sensation.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping around vaguely. He had inexplicably succeeded in finding three of the points. The entire process felt dreamlike and unbelievable.

But he knew that finding the first point was the truly critical breakthrough.

He truly wondered what further surprises the Pagoda True Qi lurking in his Dantian would bring him in the future...